Thanksgiving Dinner All Day, Everyday

Well, it's nearly the end of what was a long and relaxing Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend.  Lots of turkey was eaten on that special Thursday at two different households no less, and the day before had me eating turkey & all the fixings at a Thanksgiving Office Luncheon, while the Tuesday prior saw my 4-year-old partake in a Thanksgiving feast with blended classes with Turkey/Cheesestick Roll-Ups being the main food attraction. To round out the weekend of the Turkey, I insisted that My Little Family of four partake in our own Thanksgiving Feast for Sunday Dinner in the hope of sharing our appreciation of one another in the surroundings of our own home, our own table, our own little family.  But just to recap all that was consumed in the past few days of celebration, I shall summarize with bullet points:

At my In-Laws' meal, with a crowd of  7 adults & 2 children at a sit-down late lunch/early dinner around 1 table:

• Grilled Turkey: Super juicy, flavorful, and with a hint of hickory smokiness, compliments of slowly grilling on the coals for 4 hours.  Inventive way to put a twist on traditional roasted turkey!
• MIL's Broccoli Casserole: Delicious!  I had more than 1 serving spoonful.  I think I have the recipe, but I shall ask my MIL for permission to post lest I lose favor in their household ;)
• MIL's Mashed Potatoes: Elena's favorite, and I'm also a fan considering how fluffy and smooth they are.  My brother-in-law had a hand at whipping up the goodness this year (like the pun intended?)
• Usual Turkey accompaniments: cranberry sauce, gravy, dressing ~ all delicious
• Dessert: Delish Pumpkin pie, Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies ~ all homemade by Grandma Maryann (my MIL), except the yummy pumpkin cheesecake from Costco that my parents sent over with us as a gift to the In-Laws.  All sweet and delectable to round out the meal.

At my Tito Ding & Tita Marlene's meal, er I mean, buffet, with a crowd of um, I don't know, 30-40 people, all of whom are relatives near & far, with the Titas (Aunts) & Female Cousins keeping watch over the buffet and sharing gossip in the Dining Room, the Titos & Male Cousins watching football in the family room, and we "younger" cousins hanging out in the living room laughing and joking around with one another:

• Darren's Herbed-up Turkey, possibly brined:  Delicious, juicy, browned to perfection in the oven.
• Tita Marlene's Lumpia (Fried Eggrolls):  I live for these rolls of absolute savory goodness!  I don't have the recipe, but just know that the combo of carrots, green beans, bean sprouts, shrimp, ground pork, with the perfect amount of seasonings all rolled up in a lumpia wrapper and fried to golden goodness is out of this world! She's famous for them!
• Tita Marlene's Pancit:  Another dish she is known for.  The Filipino national noodle dish, symbolizing long life.  In our family, we live for and love Tita's pancit, as it's just the welcome accompaniment to our mound of rice and other food delights
• Tita Marlene's Tofu, Shrimp, & Chinese Celery stir-fry.  So good, so salty in a good way, so flavorful!
• Tito Ding's Pandesal (aka: Pan de Sal):  He's known for these dinner rolls of goodness, a secret family recipe passed down from my grandfather.  So delish with honey baked ham wedged in the middle, or with a slice of sharp cheese, or just a pat of butter.  When Tito comes to parties with a large paper grocery bag, you know something delicious is inside waiting to be snatched up!
• Wines from Alejos Cellars & Coppola Winery:  Tondi Bolkan Merlot, Pinay Muscato, Pastel Port Wine, & Coppola Wines!  How awesome it is to have relatives in the wine business!  And how awesome that they are available online and now locally in Illinois at Prestige Liquors in Countryside!
• Tita Lelet's organic veggie dishes:  This year, Tita shared a kale & carrot stir-fry as well as a spaghetti squash and sauteed tofu crumble on top.  So delish!  I love the veggie offerings Tita Lelet makes, as it brings something unique to the Our Filipino Buffet.
• My cousin, Mia (aka: Irene, Ate Gay, Ate Ge, Ge, etc.): Gingered Cranberry & Apricot Sauce, with just the right amount of spiciness, tartness, & sweetness all thickened together into a jammy-like condiment.  And for dessert, she made a cranberry & orange sponge bread.  Delightful with a cup of tea or coffee...Great ending to a fabulous feast.  Though the eating never really ends in our family :)
• And aside from the delectable dishes on the communal Thanksgiving buffet table, there was of course dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake, the cranberry orange bread mentioned above, fruit salad, coffee...you name it, it was probably at the feast at my Relatives'!

At the Sunday Dinner at Home with My Little Family:

• Oven Roasted Turkey: Alex simply seasoned dear turkey with olive oil, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, poultry seasoning mix, and stuffed it with aromatics such as quartered onion, freshly squeezed lemon, with the lemon halved thrown into the bird (sorry for the visual), and about 6 cloves of gently crushed garlic.  Cooked to perfection on convection oven mode for about 3-1/2 hours.
• Yukon Gold Garlic Mashed Potatoes:  Elena, Katrina, & I whip these up with pats of butter, skim milk, a splash of chicken broth, salt, pepper, and a spoonful or two of light sour cream for extra fluffiness.

• Fresh Cranberry Sauce:  I make this more special with some orange zest, freshly squeezed orange, 1 cinnamon stick, some water & sugar , boil 'til bubbly & cranberries all pop & Voila!
• For lack of time: I made boxed cornbread stuffing but add dried cranberries in the boil of water, chicken broth, & butter, and I admit I typically like this shortcut more than some gourmet attempts at stuffing/dressing. It did the trick...

After all the meals over this past holiday weekend were eaten up, I am so very thankful to have such a large loving immediate & extended & extensive family who know how and love to cook and share such goodness with one another!  We shared our togetherness with one another, whether it was at a semi-formal dinner table with a delicious sit-down meal,  a succulent buffet table with relatives milling around three different rooms conversing, laughing, & eventually picking names for Secret Santa, or My Little Family's Table of 4, where Elena was thankful for her Little Sister, Mommy,  Daddy, our Christmas Tree, and her Child of the Week designation at School, Katrina was thankful for lotion to soothe her itchy skin, Alex was thankful for his beautiful Girlies & Gal in his life, and good stable job, and life itself, and I so thankful for all of the above and then some, and this opportunity I share with you every so often about the adventures in eating I experience.  For all this and more, I am truly thankful!